Your Guide to the Ultimate Cycling Road Trip

In 2016, Jon and Pamela Robichaud, 39, rented out their home in Boulder, Colorado, and hit the road in a tricked-out Mercedes Sprinter. For 14 months, the “Roaming Robos” drove and rode their way around North America. Here are their tips on how to have the ultimate road trip. (Need some destination inspiration? Check out our book The Cyclist’s Bucket List!)

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

Bicycling: What was the original inspiration for the trip?Pamela: I have to tell you about 2013—it was a crazy year for us. We were at the finish line of the Boston Marathon [when the bombs went off]. We were fine, but it shook us up. Then in July, Jon got hit by a car while he was riding his bike. He recovered, but that experience left the lasting impression that life is short and fragile. On top of that, we were in the throes of fertility treatment, but ultimately were not successful. We came out of that saying, “OK, we’re not going to be parents. What do we do with our lives?” Van life was born from an appreciation for the crap that can go down in life and being psyched to get through it all.

How did you decide your schedule?Jon: It was a mixture of “figure it out as you go” and “plan every stop.” Alaska would be the 50th state I’d visited. So, we started by planning how to get there and the best time of year. P: Then we just drew a clockwise circle around North America.

How much did cycling inspire the itinerary?P: We set this trip up to be cycling-centric, understanding that we’d use two wheels to explore wherever we went. We’re big believers that you haven’t seen a place until you’ve ridden around it.

What bikes did you bring?J: Two Specialized Diverge adventure bikes [they are Specialized ambassadors]. The Diverges allowed us to go almost anywhere we wanted—paved road to gravel and singletrack—so we could just bring one bike apiece.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

What was a typical day like?P: Our dog, Penny, gave us our routine. Jon would wake up, put the coffee on, take Penny out. When he came back, he’d put Penny in the bed to wake me up. Then we’d sit in bed and drink coffee, maybe read. We’d typically do a bike ride or a hike for two to four hours. When it wasn’t daylight savings time, I was in bed with a book at 7:45 p.m.

What’s the #vanlife equivalent of, “Go sleep on the couch?”P: Thankfully, we’re not a “go sleep on the couch” kind of couple. We have a goal to never go to bed angry.

Any surprises on this trip?J: One of the things we really wanted to do in Alaska was to go explore Denali National Park on our bikes. And then the park rangers warned us, “There are grizzly bears on the side of the road.” So riding in Alaska is kind of cool, but it’s also exhausting because you are constantly looking for bears.P: And trying to be big and loud so they know where you are.

Life sucks in bear country?J: Valdez, Alaska, was breathtaking. It feels like you’re on a movie set everywhere. But then again, you leave town and go down some dirt roads and there’s bear scat. It’s a reality check—you’re in the wilderness.

Rebecca Stumpf

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

What were your favorite places to ride in the US?J: Easily Beartooth Highway on the Montana-Wyoming line. There were 20-foot snow walls in June. The switchbacks and gradient are perfect for 20 miles. Acadia National Park and Down East Maine feel like riding back in time. The views and the solitude are unmatched on the Lost Coast in northern California. In the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia and West Virginia you can ride endless forest roads, and there are more cows than people. The Top of the World Highway from Alaska to Dawson City, Yukon, was otherworldly, because the sun never set. It’s 100 miles—all above treeline—and you are 60 miles from the Arctic Circle.

How is a trip like this different in your late 30s?J: Van life is about the desire to explore. But as you get older you are less apt to take risks. For example, we’ve done more campground camping than boondocking on city streets. We’re cautious of where we park. Sometimes we wait 24 hours before posting on social media with our location, making us less likely to be a target.

What’s the biggest misconception about living in a van?P: That you’re made of money. But Jon has been working for our friend’s apparel brand Boco Gear, so we’re going to have a break-even 14 months. You can work while doing #vanlife—you just need cell service.

Does it feel like the time went by quickly?P: So quick. I have a journal. Every day I wrote one sentence about what we did. It took no time to read it and get through 375 sentences, but each one brings me back to where we were.

What’s life looking like now?P: We went back to our house this past June. I’m going to be opening my own physical therapy clinic. J: We’re keeping the van. I built everything modular. The majority of the RV components come out, and it becomes a glorified minivan. The goal is to be a one-vehicle family. But it only takes 27 minutes to put the van in camper mode and get away. We’ve timed it.

Trigger point massage ballsI’ll use these while driving to relieve pressure.(Buy them now: $15 on Amazon)

All Stays appProvides info about safe places to park and camp, and works without cell service.

We BoostWhen it looks like we have no cell service, this gives us a signal boost to get a text out.

Action WipesBasically bigger baby wipes for when we can’t find a shower. We reuse them to clean the bikes.(Buy them now: $26 on Amazon)

Pee bottlesIt’s very disruptive to open the clunky van door in the middle of the night. Pamela also uses a GoGirl, a flexible funnel designed to help women pee in compromising spaces.(Buy it now: $17 on Amazon)

Tire levelersPlace them under your wheels to level out the vehicle before sleeping so you don’t have to have your feet above your head.

Inflatable paddle boardHelps us enjoy the oceans and lakes we visit.

Water keyTo open spigots that don’t have a turn knob.

MagnetsThe entire van is metal. We use magnets inside to hang stuff like damp clothes.

An electric hot potFor hot chocolate, tea,or soup after a cold ride. And to hard-boil eggs.

A Part of Hearst Digital Media
Bicycling participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites.